128 COMMON COOT. Class II. 



Coots frequent lakes and still rivers; they 

 make their nest among the rushes, with grass, 

 reeds, &c. floating on the water, so as to rise 

 and fall with it. They lay five or six large eggs, of 

 a dirty whitish hue, sprinkled all over with mi- 

 nute deep rust-color spots ; and we have been 

 credibly informed that they will sometimes lay 

 fourteen and more. The young when just 

 hatched are very deformed, and the head mixed 

 with a red coarse down. In winter they often 

 repair to the sea; we have seen the channel 

 near Southampton covered with them; they are 

 often brought to that market, where they are 

 exposed to sale, without their feathers, and 

 scalded like pigs. We once saw at Spalding, m 

 Lincolnshire, a Coot shot near that place which 

 was white, except a few of the feathers in the 

 wings, and about the head, 



" The Coot extends to India and China, and 

 is also found in North America." J. L. 



